Maury John College coach

Maurice "Maury" E. John (June 17, 1919 – October 15, 1974) is a former college basketball coach at Drake University and Iowa State University. He led Drake University to the 1969 Final Four where they gave powerhouse UCLA a scare, eventually losing by 3 points, then winning the consolation game to claim 3rd place. He became known for his "belly-button" defense. John is a member of The Des Moines Sunday Register's Iowa Sports Hall of Fame. He died of cancer on October 15, 1974 at the age of 55. John is also a member of the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame. His son is in fact named John E. John. During John's last season at Iowa State his only loss came to the hands of his former team Drake 61-60.